Woodland Wizards Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Set up
• General
  • Card description
  • Form
  • Card types
• Gameplay
  • Wandering phase
  • Contest phase
  • Boost phase
  • Scoring phase
  • Clean-up phase (not applicable in the last game round)
• End of game
• Game for 7 - 12 players

Set up

Shuffle all the cards and place them as a face-down pile in the center of the table. This is the deck. Turn over the top card and place it face-up next to the deck – this will start the discard pile.

Each player draws 5 cards into their hand. The player who looks most like a hedgehog becomes the starting player for the first round. Play in clockwise order.

General

Card description

Each card represents a mystical creature. It has a name, a point value, belongs to a form, a certain card type and has a described effect.

Form

Each creature belongs to a form, symbolized by the circle icon on the card. Some card effects refer to the form. The forms are: Beasts, Birds, Insects, Phoenix, Plants.

Card types

There are three types of cards: Spells, Active Contest Cards and Passive Contest Cards. All three can be played in the Wandering, Contest and Boost phase of the game.

• The effects of Spells only apply in the Wandering phase. In the Contest and Boost phase, only their point value counts.
• The effects of Active Contest Cards do not apply in the Wandering Phase, as only their point value counts. In the Contest Phase and Boost Phase their point value and effect applies.
• The effects of Passive Contest Cards do not apply in the Wandering Phase, as only their point value counts. In the Contest Phase and Boost Phase their point value and effect apply permanently until removed. Some effects are not triggered until the end of the game.

Effects that target multiple players are executed starting from the starting player in turn order.

Gameplay

The game of Woodland Wizards is played over 4 rounds. Each round consists of 5 phases, the Wandering Phase, the Contest Phase, the Boost Phase, the Scoring Phase and the Clean-Up Phase.

As a general rule, effects are always executed in player order, beginning with the starting player. All effects must be fully executed. If an effect cannot be executed, it is forfeited. If a card effect contradicts the rules of the game, the effect of the card takes precedence.

All cards can be targeted by effects. Effects from removed cards are not executed!

If a card is replaced, the effect of the new card will only be executed if explicitly stated.

During their turn, the player carries out the effect of their Active Contest Card that corresponds to the current round. This also includes the possibility that the card previously played by the player has been replaced with another card.

Wandering phase

Beginning with the starting player and following in turn order, each player draws a card from the deck and then plays a card. Only effects from Spells are executed immediately. Otherwise, a played card is discarded with no effect.

Contest phase

All players play a card face down in front of them as their Contest Creature. The cards are turned face up at the same time. Then the Active Contest Card effects are executed.

Boost phase

In each Boost round, players play one card face down as a boost or pass, in which case they cannot play any further boosts in the following Boost rounds. Once everyone has played a Boost or passed, turn all cards face up at the same time. Passive Contest Card effects are immediately active. The active effects are performed in player order.

Several rounds follow, during which players can boost their played Contest Creature. The value of the Contest Creature is increased by the value of the card played, plus the effect may be applied. After 3 Boost rounds or when all players have passed, the Boost phase ends.

Scoring phase

Each player adds up the point value of the Contest Creature and each Boost card in front of them and applies Passive Contest Card effects. These passive effects can come from their own cards or from cards in front of other players. If a player has several passive effects to resolve, they choose the order in which they apply.

The winner of the current round is the player with the highest point total. In case of equal scores, the player sitting closest to the starting player in turn order is the winner. The winner adds their Contest Creature to their scored cards. In a game with four or five players, the player with the second-highest point total also scores their Contest Creature. In a game with 6 players, the player in third place also scores their Contest Creature.

Important: Any effects that take place after a winner is determined may exchange cards that are in play, but do not change the winner or their follow-ups of the current round, even if their point total is now lower than that of another player!

Clean-up phase (not applicable in the last game round)

All cards in play, except for scored cards, are placed in the discard pile. In turn order, each player decides whether to place cards from their hand in the discard pile or keep them for the next round. The discard pile and the draw deck are then shuffled together to form a new draw deck. One card from the draw deck is flipped face-up to start the new discard pile. All players draw back to five cards in their hand. The player sitting to the left of the winner of the current round becomes the starting player for the next round. Then the next round starts.

End of game

The game ends after the Scoring Phase of the fourth round. The winner of the game is the player with the highest point value total of their scored cards. Note that some cards have end-of-game effects that can change the point value total.

Ties for highest score are broken in the favor of the player that has

1. the Golden Phoenix,
2. the most scored cards,
3. the highest card value on a scored card,
4. the most cards with the highest card value,
5. or as a last resort: In game order, starting with the starting player.

Game for 7 - 12 players

For a game with more than six players, you need two decks of Woodland Wizards. Remove one Golden Phoenix card from those decks and shuffle the rest together to form the draw deck.